System of gun control.



PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

lnven 0? John LHQ-H'. y

J L HALL SYSTEM OF GUN CONTROL. APPLIOATION nnnn 1:[0V.28, 1904.

Wi6ness6s.

PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905.

J. L. HALL.

SYSTEM OF GUN CONTROL.

APPLICATION 1111.21) 13017.28, 1904.

2 SHEETS'SHEBT Z.

- Invent 01. John Lrl ll.

Fig. 2.

Withesses Unrrnf STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JoHN L. HALL, or SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR To GENERAL ntnoriuoGOMPANY, A CORPORATION on NEW YORK;

eve-rem JOF GUN- courses...

Specification of Letters Patent.

. resented Aug. e9, woe.

Application filed November 28, 1904. Serial No. 284,470.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. J onu L. HALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New. York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Systems of Gun Control,of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to systems for operating and controllingguns or similar mechanism, and particularly to systems of remote controlfor the same.

it is now the practice to determine at a range-finding station the rangeof the ship orother object at which it is desired to fire and totelephone or otherwise communicate the range to the control-stationsadjacent the gun or guns of a battery or batteries. Not only must therange be communicated to the control-stations from the distantrange-finding stations, but the orders for firing any particular gun orguns must also be transmitted from the battery commanders station to theman in charge of each gun. in the confusion of actual warfare there isdanger of misunderstanding telephonic or other communications,necessitating, perhaps, serious delays or causing orders to be executedimproperly. The guns must be directed to fire from points within thezone of operation of opposing guns, and wherethe number of guns is largeit is difficult to control them perfectly,so as to secure the most rapidand efiicient operation and cooperation of all of the guns. v j

in one of its aspects the present invention consists in controlling oneor more guns from a distant point, such as a range-finding station orthe battery commanders station,

which may be situated entirely out of the danger zone, thereby enablingindividual guns to be directed and discharged at will andpermittingperfect cooperation between the several guns. v

in another of its aspects the present invention consists in thearrangement of parts of a system of control whereby a wide range'ofresistance changes may be obtained through the use of a small number ofmain switches or contactors. r a v in another of its aspects the presentinvention relates to a control system in which the object or machinerygo be moved is accurately brought to'rest in [he desired position uponthe interruption of the motor-current.

it is evident that The present invention inits various enumeratedaspects and in other-aspects will be more clearly understood inconnection with the following description of one embodiment thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1' is a diagrammatic representationof one form of the present invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are detailsillustrating the mechanism for clutching the gun-carriage to the motoror to a fixed support or stop.

Similar reference characters will beused .throughout the specificationand drawings to indicate corresponding parts.-

Reference being had to Fig. 1, A represents a gun of 'any suitable typemounted upon a carriage a. p B is a motor' adapted to rotate thecarriage, and C is a motor arranged to elevate or depress the'muzzle ofthe gun.

These elements, together with the connections fnom the motors B and G tothe parts driven thereby, may be of any suitable character, since thespecific construction thereof forms no part of the present invention,except as will be hereinafter indicated, and they are therefore shownsimply in conventional forms.

Instead of controlling the motors B and C.

from points adjacent the motors and gun l have located the controllingmechanism at a distant-safe point connected to the motors by means of anelectric cable or cables. Any suitable system of motor control may beem.- ployed; but in the preferred form the motor-- controllers proper,consisting of the main contacts and resistances, are arranged atacouvenient point near the motors themselves, these motor-controllersbeing in turn controlled by master-controllers at the distant station.By this means the necessity of carrying heavy currents in thecontroller-cable .is obviated, since the flow of current through actionof the generators which supplies current to the motors, both systemsbeing illustrated.

The control. systems for the motors illustrated are as follows: D is acontroller for the motor B and controls this motor indirectly throughthe generator bin the manner disclosed in Patent No. 644,666 to MaxwellW.-

Day, granted March 5, 1900. E is a controller for motorC and,asillustrated,controls this 1110- tor directly. The motor-controllers Dand E are connected, respectively, to the mastercontrollers F and .(irat the distant station. The motor-controller 1) consists of a set ofcontactors d, d", (Z and (Z2 which constitute a reversing-switch forreversingthe direction in which the current flows through the field b ofthe generator, together with a series of switches or contactors d toall, which control sections of resistances R to R". members ofcontactors (Z, and (Z are connected to line 1, and the fixed members ofcontactors d and d are connected to line 2, lines 1 and 2 being,respectively, the positive and negative leads from the source ofelectric currentsupply. A lead 3, passing to one "terminalof the fieldb, is connected, respectively, to the I movable members of thecontactors d and (i whereby current is made to flow through'thegenerator-field in one direction or the other,

. d are closed, the opposite terminal of the according as contactors dand d or (Z and field 6' being connected to one terminal of theresistances by means of a lead 4:. It is seen that when contactor-s d tod are open the current passing through lead'4: must flow through thewhole of the resistance-sections R to R and thence through thereversingswitch to lines'l or 2, according as lead 3'-is connected toline 2 or 1. A pair of leads 5 and 6 connect together the brushes of themotor Band generator 6, While the field B of the motor is connecteddirectly across the main .lines 1 and 2. The direction of ourrent-flowthrough the field of motor Btherefore remains constant, and thedirection of rotation of the motor is governed by the direction ofcurrentflow through the field b of the generator, the speed of the motorbeing determined by the amount of resistance in cluded in series withthe field b of the gene erator. The contactors d to d may be of anyusual type, but consist, preferably, of any of thewell-knoWn forms ofelectromagnetically-actuated switches, and since the particularconstruction of these contactors forms 'no part of the present inventionthey are thistype, the angular contacts F representjmg metallic segmentson the cylinder and the circles f f indicating the fixed fingers orbrushes past which the "contacts Fare car- The fixed.

segments f, f, and f together with a number of auxiliary segmentselectrically connected thereto. The segment f is continuous and extendsthroughout the entire are through V which the master-controller maybeturned, and ff areeach less than one-halfas longas segment f and arearranged on opposite sides of the oif point of the cylinder and instaggered relation to each other, turned to the right segment f engageswith fixed contact fand segment f engages with fixed contact f whileupon turning the controller to the left contact f still engages withsegment f,but segment 3 engages with contact Contact f isconnected toline 1 through wire 7, which passes through the control-cable; Contactsf and f c are connected to leads or wires 8 and 9, respectively, wire 8passing .to the actuating-coil of contactors d and d through wire 10 toline-wire 2, and wire 9 passing through actuating-coihof .contactors dand d. through wire 10' to line-wire 2. When the master-controller isturned to the right, bringing contactf into engagement with segment facircuitis completed through As the controller is:

the actuating-coil of contactors d and d,

closing them and permitting current to flow from line-wire l tocontactor d, lead 3, field 6, lead 4, resistance-sections R to R,contactor 0V, to line-wire 2. The generator now supplies current to themotor-armature; but

since the field of the generator is'weak the current will be impressedat a very low-potential. If a master-controller is turned in theopposite direction, bringing contact f into engagement with segment fcurrent flows from line 1 to wire 7 through wire 8, instead of throughwire 9, as before, through the actuating-coil of coritactors d and d,through wire'10 to line 2, thereby energizing the actuating-coil ofcontactors 'd and (11 and closing said contactors. In this position ofthe master-controller the flow of current between the generator andmotoris in the reverse direction from that which fiows when themaster-controller is turned in the opposite direction. Assuming that themastercontroller has been moved to the right, causloo.

ing contactors d andd to be energized, the

motor B being supplied withcurrent at a low potential, a furtherrotationof a master-controller to and through its successive runningpositions reduces the resistance in series with the field b of thegenerator 5 and causes the {voltage of the generator-current to rise. Asthe voltage of the generated current increases 'the speedof the motorlikewise increases.

L Itis desirable that the motor may be started reasse at a very lowspeed, which is increased graduallyin order thatthe starting of the gunor other object to be moved may be smooth and uniform. In order toprovide a wide range of speeds for the motor, 1 have arranged the 1110-to :'-controller so that the potential of the current impressed upon themotor may be varied through a fairly wide range by means of numeroussmall steps, these changes in voltage being accomplished by varying theresistance in series with the field of the generator correspondingly. Tothis end the resistancesections'R" to R are preferably proportioned soas to have resistance values varying in geometric'progression, eachsection having, preferably, twice the resistance of the preceding or a,and the master-controller is arranged so th .t each contactor associatedwith the resistance-sections is operated a'numbcr of times during thecutting out of the resistance. Each resistancesection is thereforealternately out in and cut out of circuit at various stages duringacceleration in such a manner that the-whole resistance in series withthe field is varied by small steps which, in the arrangement shown, areequal in value to that of the smallest resistance-section R inthecontroller illustrated only five resistance-controlling contactorsare employed, while the number of resistance steps obtained thereby ismorc than sixtimes that number.

One terminal of each of the actuating-coils of theresistance-controlling contactors (Z to d is connected to line-wire 2through wire 10, and the opposite terminals are connected, respectively,to fixed contactsf to fl of the master-controller by means of wires 11to 15, inclusive.

The vertical dotted lines in the diagram of master-controller F indicatethe lines of contact between the fixed and movable contacts in thevarious running posit-ions of the mastercontroller. As we have seen,when the controller is in its first running position all the resistanceis in series with the field of the generator. Upon moving themaster-controller to its second running position contact-segment f iselectrically connected to fixed contact f, therebycompleting'the-circuit from line .1, wire 7, contact f, contact f f,contact f, wire 11, actuating-coil of contact d, wire 10, to line-wire2, thus energizing the actuating-coil of "contact d and closing saidcontact. The closing of contact d" short-circuits resistance-section Rand decreases the resistance in series with the field of the generatorby that amount. In the third running position contact is broken at f",-thereby deenergizing the actuating-coil of contact d and allowing thatcontact to open, reinserting resistance-section R. a At the same time,however, contact is made at f, and a circuit may now be traced throughthe actuating-coil of contact (1'', this contact being closed andcutting out resistance-section R.

The resistance now in series with the field of the generator differs invalue from that in circuit when the master-controller was in its secondrunning position only by an amount equal to the difference in valuebetween resistances R and R In the fourth running position contact isretained at f and is again established at f, thereby again cutting outresistance-section R Inthe fifth running position contact is broken at fand and is established at f", thereby reinserting resistancesections R Rand cutting out resistance-sections R In a similar manner'upon movingthe master-controller successively through the whole of its thirty-tworunning positions resistance-sections R to R are so manipulated thatafter each step the entire resistance in series with the field of thegenerator hasbeen varied by an amount equal to resistance R, and sinceit is obvious how the various circuits are established for accomplishingthis result no attempt will be made here to trace the entire cycle ofcircuits. When the master-controller is turned in the oppositedirection, exactly the same cycle of steps is performed, except that thedirection of currentflow through the generator-field is changed.

It is evident that by means of the controller just described the motormay be started at a low speed and may be accelerated at a slow anduniform rate peculiarly adapted to moving a heavy mass, such as a gunand its carriage, from a position of rest, the acceleration of the motorbeing such that its speed increases only withsuflicient rapidity toenable the motor to apply its power most efliciently. The motor may beslowed down gradually as the gun approaches the proper azimuth bygradually cutting in resistance, so that the gun may bemoved and broughtto rest again with smoothness and precision. Moreover, the parts of thecontroller are few in number, makingthe controller compact and of suchsimplicity that it may be safely used in situations where it is notdesirable to have complex apparatus of this character.

In order that the operator of the controller may be able to properlyposition the gun, there is provided indicating mechanism consisting of acommutating device K, suitably connected to the gun-carriage, as bymeans of a shaft and a-pinion in, together with asynchronous inotor L,adjacent to master-controller, the synchronous motor being preferablygeared to an instrument having a series of dials Z for accuratelyindicating the position 'of the gun-carriage in degrees, minutes,seconds, and fractions of seconds. This indicat- -ing mechanism may beof any suitable construction and the commutating device and thesynchronous motor any of the usual types. Reference may be had to myPatent No.

706,554, granted August 12, 1902, for a com- IIO.

and synchronous motor adapted for use in the present system.

The motor-controller E is similar to the controller D, but controls theresistance in series withthe armature of the motor instead ofcontrolling the action of a generator, as in the arrangement previouslydescribed in connection with motor B. The controller Ehas in addition tothe contacts corresponding to the contact of controller D two fixedcontacts 0 and 0, which engage, respectively, with movable contacts 0and a, (corresponding to d and d) when the latter'are open. Contacts 0and a are electrically connected, thereby short-circuiting the armatureof motor C as soon as the current thereto is interrupted. Since thearmature-brushes are connected to contacts 0 and 0* just as theterminals of the field are connected to al and al, no current can besupplied to the armature while short-circiuited, since either contact 0or contact 0* must be raised for that purpose. The short-circuiting ofthe armature of motor C produces a braking action, which aids inbringing the gun to rest. The master-controller G is similar in everyrespect to the master-controller F, and therefore no detaileddescription of the motor-controller E and the master-controller'G needbe given. A commutating device K, similar to the commutating device K,is suitably geared to the elevating mechanism of the gun, as by means ofgears In; connecting the commutating device with the operating-shaft 0..The commutating device K is operatively connected to an indicator L,similar to the indicator L. Both of the indicators L and L are arrangedadjacent the master-controllers, whereby the operator may be informed atall times of the exact position whichthe gun occupies, enabling him tostop the motors'and bring the gun to rest trained properly as to azimuthand elevation.

A firing-circuit comprising wires 33 and 34: may extend from the gun tothe distant station, where the circuit is normally kept open by means ofa push-button switch 35. After the gun has been properly trainedpressure upon the push-button 35- serves to fire the gun.

Difliculty' is experienced in stopping the gun at the exact pointdesired on account of the momentum of the massive structure, whichinvariably carries the gun past the proper point no matter how slowlythe gun may be brought into position. One of the features of the presentinvention consists in means for' accurately positioning the gun upon thedesired azimuth without the exercise ofextreme care, and to this endthere is associated with the gun-carriage a yielding stop and clutchmechanism which clutches the gun-carriage to the stop at the instant themo-' I tor-current is interrupted, the stopbeing pro vided with powerfulsprings or similar, means which initially yields as it absorbs themomenposed between these two disks; energized, clutch memberI9cooperates with vessels turn of the gun and carriage, but whichreturns the gun and carriage to the position which they occupied at theinstant of clutching the stop. The details of this mechanism are shownin Figs. 2 and 3. 16 is a shaft geared to the motor in any suitable wayand providedwith a pinion or other gear element 17, which engages with acomplementary element on the gun-carriage for the purpose of driving thesame. The pinion 17 is normally loose upon the shaft and is providedwith a sleeve 18, which surrounds the shaft. Splined to the sleeve 18 isthe movable element 19 of a double clutch, preferably electromagnetic incharacter. As illustrated, the clutch member 19 consists of the magneticcore 20, having two sets of energizing-coils 2i and 22 on opposite sidesthereof. Cooperating with the clutch member 19 is a magnetic disk 23,splincd or otherwise secured to shaft 16, and a second disk 24, whichloosely surrounds the sleeve 18, the clutch member 19 being dis If coil22 is disk 23, thereby locking the sleeve 18 and its pinion to the shaft16 and coupling the motor to the gun carriage. If coil 21 is energized,disk 24: is clutched to the gun-carriage. Disk 24 is provided with aradially-extending arm 25, having pivoted thereto at its outer end oneend of a rod 26, the opposite end of the rod 26 extending into a fixedframe or casing 27, within which is arranged a powerf'ul spring 28. Afdllowerplate 29 is placed between one end of the spring 28 and ashoulder 29 and rod 26, and a similar follower 30 engages, respectively,at the opposite end of the spring at the nut 31 on the end of rod 26. Itis seen that the application of force in either direction longitudinallyof the rod 26 compresses the spring 28. By making this springsufiiciently strong and placing it under a considerable initial tensionit may be employed to absorb any momentum which the gun and carriage mayhave when the clutching engagement is effected and return the gun andcarriage to a point which will enable the spring to assume its normalpositionnamely, return the gun and carriage to the exact point theyoccupied when broughtinto engagement with the stop. The compressedspring may be considered as a source of energy adapted to oppose theenergy of the moving gun and finally overcome it. The casing 27 may bemade in the form of a closed cylinder and the followers29 and 30 in theform of pistons slidable within the cylinder, the pistons and cylinderserving as a dashpot to absorb the energy of the gun and carriage, butnot preventing the spring from re turning the gun to its proper positionin case it overruns. If desired, the cylinder 27 may be provided withsuitable openings 32 to limit the resistance of the fluid within thecylinder. It may well happen that if the gun-carriage has anyconsiderable momentum when it is beyond the proper position, in whichcase the Spring will be again compressed, but from its opposite end, andafter one' or more oscillations the gun-carriage will be brought to restproperly positioned.

In order to eifectively operate the clutch mechanism, I have provided arelay H, which comprises a movable arm it, permanently connected toline-wire 2 and adapted normally to engage with one terminal h of theclutch-energizing coil 21, together with an electromagnet 71?, adaptedwhen energized .to move the arm It into engagement with one terminal hof the coil 22 of' the clutch. Coils 21 and 22 have acommon terminal it,connected to linel. The electromagnet [t is preferably arranged in shuntwith the field b of the generator, so that upon the instant the circuitof the generator-field-is broken the eleetromagnet k be: comesdenergizcd and permits the arm/t to drop. into engagement with theterminal of clutch-coil 21, and since the opposite terminal of coil 21is connected to line-wire 1 the coil will be energized, clutching thegun-carriage to the fixed stop in the manner described. Upon closing thecircuit through the generator-field electromagnet la? is energized,breaking the circuit of coil 21 and completing the circuit of coil 22,thereby unelutching the guncarriage from thestop and clutching it to themotor.

v Although I .have described one embodiment of the present invention indetail in order to clearly disclose the invention, the present inventionis not limited to the details illustrated and described except as theymay be included in the appended claims. The resistance in controllers Dand E need not beadapted for insertion in series with the field of agenerator or the armature of a motor, but may be utilized in any usualmanner for regulating the current in a circuit. Neither need theseresistances be short-cireuited, as described, toincrease the current inthe controlled circuit; butthey may operate in the reverse manner. Themechanism for accurately securing the gun after it has been brought intoposition may be employed with or without the particular type ofcontroller herein'disclosed and for other purposes than that ofpositioning a gun-carriage, and many other changes may be made Withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. In a system of gun control, a gun, means for training the gun bothhorizontally and Vertically, control apparatus controlled from apointremote from the gun, and means controlled from said remote point forfiring the gun.

tor for training the gun horizontally, aseeond motor for training thegun vertically, control apparatus for said motors controlled from apoint remote from the gun, a firing-circuit, and means at said remotepoint for controlling said firing-circuit. I

3. Irv a system of gun control, a gun, motors for training the gunhorizontally and verti- I cally, motor-control apparatus adjacent themotors, master controller-apparatus located'75 at-a point remote fromthe gun, a firing-circuit, and means. at said remote point for con-"trolling said firing-circuit. I I i 4. In a system of gun control,'rn'eans for moving a gun horizontally and vertically, a control-stationat a point remote from the gun, and means for indicating the horizontaland vertical positions of the gun at said control-station. i I

5. In asystem of gun control, a gun, motors fortraining the gunhorizontally and'vertically, control apparatus for said motors comtrolled from a point remote from the gun, in-

dicators at said remote point, and means, operatively connected to saidgun for controlling said indicators, whereby the gun is controlled fromand the horizontal and vertical. positions are indicated at the remotepoint.

6. In a system of gun control, a gun, motors for training the gunhorizontally and verti- I cally, control apparatusfor said motorscontrolled from a point remote from the"gun, azimuth and elevationindicators at said re- 1 mote point, motors for operating saidindicators and control apparatus for said latter- 9 motorsoperativelyconnected to the gun.

7. In a system of gun control, a gun, motors for training the gunhorizontally and'vertically, control apparatus for said motorscontrolled from a point remote from the gun means for indicatingthehorizontal and Vertical positions of the gun at said remote point,

a firing-circuit, and means at said remote point I for controlling saidfiring-circuit.

" 8. In a system of gun control, a gun-earno riage, a .motor, a stop,and means for alternately locking the gun-carriage to the motor and tothe said stop.

9. In a system of gun control, amotor, a yielding stop,and means foralternately clutch I 1 5 ing the gun-carriage to the motor and to saidyielding stop.

10. .1n a system of gun control, a motor, a controller, a stop, meansfor clutching the motor to the gun-carriage upon moving the controllerto an operative position and for clutching the gun-carriage to said stepupon moving the controller to its off position.

11. In a system of gun control, a motor, and 4 means for alternatelysimultaneously energiz- I2 5 ing the motor and clutching it to thegun-carriage and simultaneously denergizing the motor and clutching thegun-carriage to said stop.

12. In a system of gun control, a motor, a stop, and means forautomatically di'sconnect- I3 ing the gun from the motor and connectingitto said stop upon interruption of the motorternately connecting saidgun to said motor and to said source of energy.

14. In a system of gun control, a gun, a'

motor, a spring engaging a fixed support and having an initial tension,and means for alternately clutching the gun to the motor and to saidspring.

15. in a system of control, an electric circuit, a resistance comprisinga group of sections varying in geometric progression, a switch for eachresistance-section, and means for operating said switches for insertingor eliminating said resistance in said circuit by successive incrementsequal to one of said re sistance-sections.

16. In a system of control, an electric circuit, a resistance comprisinga group of sections varying in geometric progression, 9, switch for eachresistance-section, and means for operating said switches for insertingor V eliminating said resistance in said circuit by successiveincrements equal to the least of said resistance-sections.

17. In a system of control, an electric cir- I cuit, a resistancecomprising a series of varying sections, a switch for each section, andmeans for causing each switch to operate a plurality of times during theinsertion of the whole of said resistance in said circuit.

K8. in a system of control, an electric circuit, a resistance comprisinga series of varying sections, a switch for each section, and means forcausing each switch to operate a plurality of times during theeliminationof the resistance from said circuit.

19. in a system of control, an electric circuit, a resistance thereforcomprising a series of varying sections, a switch for each section,itfiil means for opening and closing each switch a pinraiity of timesduring each cycle of re sistance changes.

in witness whereof have hereunto set my hand this 25th dey of November,1904.

JOHN L. HALL.

